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Team Falcons claimed a resounding victory at DreamLeague Season 23, sweeping Gaimin Gladiators 3-0 in the grand final.
Despite being relegated to the lower bracket earlier in the tournament, Falcons battled back and showcased their dominance with a flawless Dota 2 performance.
Their journey to the top began with a decisive win over BetBoom Team in the lower bracket.
Although BetBoom had quickly adapted to the significant new patch released during the event, Falcons muscled through to a 2-1 victory.
The grand final started explosively, with Falcons dominating the first match.
Andreas “Cr1t-” Nielsen’s performance on his signature Hoodwink was pivotal, helping the team secure a swift 25-minute victory.
In game two, the Gladiators tried an unconventional strategy with a Wraith King carry.
While initially promising, this tactic faltered against Falcons’ crowd control-heavy composition, leading to a slow loss for the Gladiators.
Game three was the Gladiators last hope for redemption.
The team, struggling to replicate their success from 2023, once again opted for a perplexing draft reliant on dying cores.
Falcons capitalized on this, securing a clean 3-0 sweep to win the championship.
Falcons’ victory at DreamLeague Season 23 earned them $300,000 and a guaranteed invite to the Riyadh Masters 2024.
A big Congratulations to @FalconsEsport, our #DreamLeague Season 23 powered by @IntelGaming Champions!! 🏆
They've just earned themselves $300,000! 💰 pic.twitter.com/xMRavB5sey
— ESL Dota2 (@ESLDota2) May 26, 2024
Their dominant performance, including an undefeated upper bracket run, underscored their supremacy in the current Dota 2 season.
Had they not drawn their group series against Shopify Rebellion, Falcons would have achieved a complete event sweep.
Support star Jingjun “Sneyking” Wu attributed their success to focusing on the fundamentals of Dota.
“A big reason why I think we’re a strong team is because we focus on the fundamentals,” he said.
Cr1t- emphasized the importance of simplicity in adapting to the mid-tournament Patch 7.36.
“Most of the stuff in this patch is just yolo’ing it and [using] what you think is good as long as there’s some logic,” he explained.
Falcons mid-laner Stanislav “Malr1ne” Potorak was a standout, amassing 46 kills and just five deaths over the three games.
Despite Gaimin Gladiators’ efforts, they could not match Falcons’ relentless aggression and strategic prowess.
With this victory, Falcons secured back-to-back DreamLeague titles and their fourth tier-one tournament win in 2024, adding to their triumphs at BetBoom Dacha Dubai and ESL One Birmingham.
The conclusion of DreamLeague Season 23 confirmed the eight invited teams for the Riyadh Masters: Falcons, BetBoom, Gaimin Gladiators, Xtreme Gaming, Tundra Esports, OG, Team Liquid, and Team Spirit, with the remaining play-in squads to be determined by ESL Pro Tour rankings.
As the Dota 2 community looks ahead to the Riyadh Masters in July and TI 2024, Falcons’ impeccable form positions them as the favourites to lift the Aegis.
